Seize The Day
by Shira Zerro
Summary: A Paladin and his party is to escort a daughter of a noble family ending up getting mixed in a sibling rivalry. [on hiatus until i find time and inspiration to continue writing the story]
1. Chapter I

Chapter I

"Hey Jake, have you heard the news? A carriage of a Payonese noble family has been attacked in the forest by the Hassashin Assassins."

"Is that so?" replied a bald swordsman named Jake.

"Yeah. It was believed that the Payonese noble family was to come here to do some business trading with our local noble family. There were no survivours except one who managed to escape the massacre when the police reached the scene, or so they say."

"But how sure are the police that the ones who killed that Payonese noble family was by one of the Hassashins, Jarred?"

"Well, obviously from the signature left behind. Duh. Damn it Jake, you should learn how to read instead of sword fighting. I'm sick of you constantly asking me what's happening in the news and me telling you all about it," added a merchant named Jarred who looked annoyed.

"Ah well," said Jake who seemed to be trying to steer himself out of the topic. "By the way, did I tell you how I banged the daughter of...?"

Whose daughter or how did the bald Jake banged, it did not matter to Taurus Blackhart as he got up from his table and paid his bill. He thanked the owner of the inn where he had his meal in the small city of Izlude. As he stepped outside the door, something fell onto his head lightly. He touched his head and felt something wet. He looked at his hands and droplets of rain started to drip onto his hands. With an impatient sigh he put on his Sweet Gent, put his hands into his pocket and started to walk back to Prontera as it started to drizzle in Izlude. As he walked back, he was deep in thought on the conversation between Jarred and Jake.

"Not usual for a group of renegade assassins assassinating a noble family unless for a cause," thought Taurus. "Damn, why am I caring about things that do not involve me?" Suddenly, someone knocked into him from behind.

"Hey, what the hell?" said Taurus, staggering. He turned around and saw a small, hooded figure on the ground. Taurus reached for the shoulders and shook them roughly. The hood fell, revealing a weary and dirty face of a young girl.

"What's the big idea of ramming into me all of a sudden?" asked Taurus roughly.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," stammered the young girl, tears forming in her eyes. "P-Please help m-me. I'm so tired an-and hungry. Please..."

Taurus studied the young girl that he was holding. There were twigs stuck in between her hair, cuts and bruises on her hands, legs, body and her face and not to mention her clothes were a bit torn. She must have been running through the woods, thought Taurus. Taurus let go of her and looked around. He heard a slight thud and saw the girl sprawled on the ground, breathing rather weakly. Although Taurus was a hardhearted person, there was something in the girl that made him soft. He picked up his hat, carried the girl on his shoulders and quickened his pace back to Prontera.


	2. Chapter II

Chapter II

By the time Taurus reached the South Gate of Rune Midgard Prontera, it has already started to rain heavily. Cursing the gods for the rain, he held the girl on his shoulders tightly and started to run towards the city's orphanage home, whose matriarch was a childhood friend of his.

"Taurus, what a pleasant surprise," said Katrina Mannon, a high priestess of the Pronteran Church and matriarch of the orphanage home as Taurus charged into the house.

"Cut the chit-chat," said Taurus, looking around the room. "Can you spare a bed for this girl and tend her wounds?"

"Taurus, you're a priest yourself for god's sake. Can't you heal her wounds yourself instead of barging into the orphanage home and asking me to tend her wounds?" said Katrina as she chased after Taurus up the stairs, trying to look at the girl on his shoulder's face. Taurus did not reply Katrina's remarks. He kicked open one of the room door in the house and dropped the girl onto the bed nearby the door.

"There, she's all yours," said Taurus. He walked out from the room and headed to the bathroom. He stared at his reflection in the mirror as he dried his Sweet Gent and his long black leather trench coat.

"There's something about this girl, but what is it?" thought Taurus to himself, washing his face and hair.

"I see that you're still having it," said Katrina's voice by the door. Taurus looked up at her. "She'll be alright. She just need some rest. Where did you find her?"

"Somewhere outside the South Gate," replied Taurus shortly and stared deeply back at his reflection in the mirror.

"Don't let her out from your sight," he added, putting his Sweet Gent back on and hanged his trench coat on his arm as he exits the bathroom. "There's something about her that I would like to find out about."

-----------------

The House of Aeroth was well known for producing the finest of warriors in Rune Midgard Prontera, and Aragon Aeroth was one of their proudest sons. He joined the Swordsman Academy at a tender age of ten and later on graduated the following year, an achievement only the most talented ones can achieve. Although the House of Aeroth is mainly famed for producing strong and brave knights, Aragon instead became a paladin, following the footsteps of his father. Aragon's father, the late Sylvas Aeroth, was King Tristan III's most trusted one among his line of generals of the Royal Pronteran Army. Sylvas Aeroth died before his time while serving his kingdom in a war against the army of the self-proclaimed Emperor Li-Chen of Payon to over-run King Tristan's throne. The war ended when the Emperor himself was over-thrown by one of his own generals.

Despite Aragon's outstanding achievements from the past, he also endured many difficulties. He was often pointed as a spoilt brat and often got picked by others. His father died when he was only nine years of age and his mother, Natasha Aeroth, a year later. Aragon's mother was brutally raped and then murdered while she was on her way back from Geffenia by a wanted high wizard and his apprentice despite the valiant struggle that she put up. They were caught a few days later after raping and murdering Natasha Baltimore-Aeroth with the charge for rape and murder. They were sentenced to death and Aragon was granted permission to execute the death sentence. Ever since that day, Aragon Aeroth was a changed man.

At the age of fifteen, he was asked to become one of the captains in the Royal Pronteran Army. Aragon took the job until he was eighteen. With his superb fighting talent and charisma, he was looked up as one of the most respected captains in the army other than being the youngest captain of the army at that period of time.

Recently, he had formed a small guild with some of his friends. His guild is basically a special protection agency which deals with escorting or protecting important figures in Prontera. His guild had managed to protect all of the important figures that they were assigned to protect from assassinations and harms way ever since the guild was formed.

In his office based in the Realms of Valkryie, Aragon was just about to finish reading the newspaper when Taurus came into the room, wet from head to toe.

"What have you been doing, dancing with some dancers in the rain?" asked Aragon, putting down his newspaper on the table and looked at Taurus' wet state.

"I wished," replied Taurus coldly. Aragon shrugged and looked outside the window while Taurus dried and cleaned himself up in his private room. Few minutes later, Taurus came out from his room, dressed up in his first ever robe given by the Prontera Church before changing it to the long black leather trench coat that he is currently wearing. He walked up towards Aragon at the window and looked outside with his arm folded.

"Have you heard the news? About the assassination of the noble family from Payon," said Taurus. Aragon nodded.

"We were hired by the Alexander family to escort them to their place but because of that incident, it was not meant to be," said Aragon. "The noble family from Payon is the Langleys, famed for one of their well refined bow passed down from generation to generation, supposedly unbreakable. I supposed it was the cause of the assassination."

"So? Are we gonna do anything about it?" asked Taurus.

"I've already sent Kiara down to investigate this morning. She should be back soon."


	3. Chapter III

Chapter III

"Well, this should be the place," said Kiara Gustav, looking at her compass and the description of the location that Aragon gave her that led to the fields of Payon in Poring Island.

_Things sure look messy here_, thought Kiara.

The air was filled with the foul stench of blood and bodies were lying everywhere. Some were lying in a position that no living person can achieve, some with their necks twisted more than 90 degrees and some with their bones sticking out from their bodies. Even the peco-pecos pulling the carriage were not spared. The feathers were lying around the dead bodies of the nobles and the guards guarding them. Broken pieces of the swords and shields that the guards were using were lying around, some pierced through their bodies. In the carriage, arrows were sticking out from bodies of three dead people.

"I guess that's the head of the family and that's his wife and kid," mumbled Kiara to herself. Just then, she heard rustling noises at the bushes near her. She quickly grabbed the hilt of her sword behind her back. The rustling noise grew louder, and a lavender brown hair guy emerged, from the thick bushes brushing away leaves and twigs caught in between in his well combed hair.

"Damn it Delita, you really do know how to make an entrance for yourself," said Kiara, releasing her grip from her sword with an annoyed look on her face. "I was about to draw out my sword and slash your head off."

"I know you wouldn't," said Delita, brushing off the remaining leaves from his hands. "So this is the massacre that Aragon was talking to you about this morning."

"Yeah," replied Kiara. Silence filled between both of them as they went to look inside the carriage. Delita noticed there was dried blood trailing from the carriage straight into the forest.

"Did Aragon say anything about a survivour?" asked Delita.

"There was one I think," replied Kiara. "Why?"

Delita pointed out the dried blood trailing from the carriage to the forest. Kiara and Delita followed the blood into the forest. After walking a few metres into the forest, the trail could not be seen any longer. A rather worried Delita looked around the forest. The thick canopy layer of the trees of Payon were blocking the sun from hitting the ground and the hair was more humid than before, which makes smelling the surroundings a little bit more harder for Delita.

"Let's head back to where we started. We dunno what may be lurking around the deep parts of the forest," said Delita, grabbing Kiara's arms.

"You're a hunter-turned-sniper (AN: the reason I put it that way cause the word sniper sounds too awkward in that sentence), can't you use your skills to survey your surroundings?" asked Kiara, following Delita's lead out from the dark forest.

"This is now a worst-case scenario. The air density back there was too humid and the surroundings was too dark for me to tell if anyone there," replied Delita. "Whoever went in there might be dead by now."

Much to Delita's relieve, Kiara and himself made it safely outside from the dark forest.

"C'mon, let's head back and report to Aragon," said Delita. Kiara agreed and the both of them rode on the peco-peco that Kiara brought and made their journey back to Prontera.


	4. Chapter IV

Chapter IV

Throughout the journey back to Prontera, Delita was constantly thinking of the 'survivour' back in the forest. Who is that person? How old is that person? Is that person dead or alive? The more he thinks about it, the more his heads spins badly. He dismissed the matter entirely and kept a look out for any potential mobs that could attack them in the desert.

"So what made you run back there?" asked Kiara all of a sudden.

"Hmm? Wha?" said Delita, dazed from the Kiara's sudden question.

"What made you run away from the forest," repeated Kiara. "It's unusual for you to run away from battles."

"I myself am too sure about it either," said Delita after a short moment of silence. "I hate to say this, but I guess I just chickened out back there."

"Hah! You, chickening out? That's something I don't hear everyday," said Kiara, beckoning her peco-peco to turn into the plains of Prontera.

"Don't rub it in," grumbled Delita.

The rain in Prontera has not stopped pouring ever since Kiara left the South Gate earlier that day. In fact, it was getting heavier and heavier as she arrived at the South Gate. Kiara pushed her peco-peco forward, charging through the heavy rain as it leaves muddy tracks trailing from the South Gate. By the time Kiara and Delita reached Aragon's office, they were all soaking wet and muddy. The both of them went into their rooms respectively to clean themselves up, leaving trails of mud in the process, much to Aragon's disapproval.

"Report what you saw," said Aragon in an official tone after all four of them was comfortably seated on the sofas in one of the rooms.

"The entire convoy was brutally assassinated," replied Kiara. "But professionally done, truly the work of the Hassashin Assassins."

"And the survivour?" asked Taurus.

"I doubt there will be any," said Delita slowly, cutting in Kiara as she opened her mouth to speak. Both Taurus and Aragon looked at Delita.

"Why so?" asked Taurus again. Kiara closed her mouth slowly and looked at Delita in the eyes.

"I followed a trail of blood from the carriage that led Kiara and I into a forest. Even though it wasn't so deep in the forest, I couldn't see very well what was far ahead and my sense of smell was beginning to fail on me," explained Delita.

"But it's just Poring Island. It shouldn't be that dangerous in the forest right?" said Kiara.

"Bear in mind that Ghostrings exists there," said Delita. "And for someone to survive a brutal massacre by a dangerous renegade assassinating group, I don't think that the surviviour will stand a chance against a bunch of Ghostrings and its mob of Whisper Bosses. Besides that, I've got a feeling that there's something more dangerous back there other than just Ghostrings."

The rain outside was beginning to subside. Aragon was trying to come up with a decision after listening to Delita's story. Kiara leaned back on her couch and closed her eyes. Taurus stood up from his place and walked to the window and looked outside. After a while, he went into his room and emerged with his Sweet Gent on his head.

"I'm off the orphanage for a short while. I'd be back shortly," he said.


End file.
